Spring hinge



Dec. 28

1,612,237 D. w. THORNTON SPRING HINGE Filed Jan. 21, 1924 6 on the leaf1.

Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

UNITED STATES DAVID W. THORNTON, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

SPRING HINGE.

Application filed January 21, 1924. Serial No. 687,446.

"This invention relates to hinges, and more particularly to hinges ofthat character adapted to be used on heavy oflice doors, residencedoors, or the like; it being the principal object to provide an improvedtype of spring hinge whereby aA door, after being opened and released,will be brought back to closed position without slamming.

More specifically stated, the invention resides in the construction of ahinge of the above character that will operate to bring the door backfrom open to closed position, first with a'relatively slow and easy,swinging movement and then just before it reaches the closing point, itwill be given an accelerated movement which will insure that it willlatch.

Other objects reside in the details of construction and combination ofparts, particularly in the clutch and release mechanism; also in theprovision of means for adjusting the retaining tension which controlsthe rate of movement of the door.

In accomplishing these and other objects r of the invention, I haveprovided the improved details of construction` the preferred forms ofwhich arelillustrated in the accom panying drawings, wherein- Figure 1is a face view of a hinge enibodied by the present invention, partly insection to show the closing spring and clutch mechanism.

Figure 2 is an outs-ide view of the upper portion of the hinge.

Figure 3' is an enlarged. fragmental portion, shown partly in section,of the ball bearing release mechanism and its connec tion with thelongitudinally slotted pintle.

Figure 4 is an enlarged, perspective view of a portion of the pintle,clutch mechanism and ball bearing release.

Figure 5 is an end view of the clutch mechanism..

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-.6 in 'Figure 1.

Y Figure 7 is a sectional view of an alternative clutch construction.

Referring more in detail to the drawings- 1 and 2, respectively,designate the sections, or leaves, of the hinge.A These are joinedpivotally by means of a pintle 3 that extends centrally though loops 4and 5 formed adjacent the upper and lower edges of the leaf 2 andthrough an interposed loop Fitted within the upperend of the loop 6 ofsection 1 is a bushing 7 its upper end it is fixed to the bushing 7 andat its lower end is fixed in a bushing 11 that is fitted rotatablywithin the lower end of loop 6 and upon the loop 5 of section 2. Thislatter bushing is provided with a plu rality of laterally openingsockets 12 and a pin13 is seated in one of these and bears against thehinge section 2 so that the tension of spring 10 that operates to rotatethe bushing 11 will cause the hinge sections to be swung from open toclosed position and yieldingly held in this position. The tension of thespring may be regulated by turning of the bushing 11 and this may beheld, when proper adjustment is reached, by insertion of the'pin 13.

In order that the swinging movement of the door. in closing, beVretarded so as to prevent its slamming shut, I have interposed afriction washer 15 of leather, r other suitable material, between theupper end of the bushing 7 and the lower end surface of a clutch ring 16that encircles the pintle 3 just below the loop 4 of the hinge section2. This ring 16, is provided in its upper face, as shown in Figure 4,with sockets 17 for receiving pins 18 that proiect downwardly from theunder side of a clutch head 19. so that these parts will rotatetogether. The head is provided with a plurality of peripheral sockets 20with walls 21 inclined toward the encircling loop 4,' and balls 22 arecontained within these sockets and operate against the inner surface ofthe hinge loop 4 to permit the hinge to swing to open position withoutcausingv rotation of the ring 16 with respect to bushing 7, but when thehinge sections close together the clutch balls take .eeo-t so that ring16 will be caused to rotate oppositely to movement of bushing 7 and, byvirtue of the friction washer 15 disposed between them, the closingmovement is retarded. The degree of retardation is regulated by thepressure exerted against the washer 15 by the ring 16 and this iscontrolled by the adjustment of a nut 24 and locknut 25 threaded ontothe upper end of the pintle, and which, through the intermediacy of ayieldable washer 26 and a se ries of ball bearings located about thepintle and between the washer 26 and clutch head 19, as presentlydescribed, cause pressure to be maintained..

As was previously stated, one of the prin-- cipal objects of theinvention is to provide a spring hinge that will close the door slowlyand whereby the door will be given a certain increased impetus, as itnears the closing position which will be suiicient to insure itslatching. To effect this result means has been provided whereby, whenthe door reaches the desired position, pressure against the frictionwasher 15 by ring 16 is relieved and the spring pin 10 acts withoutresistance. The means is as follows:

Disposed upon the flat upper end of clutch head 19 are anti-frictionballs 30 carried in a retaining ring 31. Upon these balls is placed aring 32 with flat upper and lower surfaces and which has a pin 33ext-ending inwardly therefrom, Within a slot 34 formed longitudinally inthe pintle. This provides that the ring 32 will not rotate upon thepintle, but will move in accordance therewith. Upon the ring 32 aremounted antifriction balls 36 that are retained in spaced apartrelation, as shown in Figure 4, within a retainer ring 37 which has asmall roller 38 mounted at one edge thereof on a stud 39. This roller isdisposed within a vertical notch 40, see Figure 2, in the upper edge ofthe loop 4 of hinge section 2. This connection provides that the ballretainer ring 37 will rotate with the section 2. Formed in the uppersurface of the ring 32, in accordance with the angular spacing of balls36 in ring 37, are sockets, or recesses 41. When the hinge is in openposition the balls 36 roll upon the flat top surface of ring 32, but asthe hinge nears its closed position, the balls move inte the socket 41and this causes a certain looseness between the members whereby pressureexerted against the friction washer is relieved and the spring 10 actswithout resistance to close and latch the door. When th-e hinge isopened, the walls 36 roll from the sockets 41 and the tension is againestablished.

Operating upon balls 36 is a ring 45 and disposed between this and thelocknuts are anti-friction balls 47 and the yieldable washer 26 wherebytension is maintained and the required movement of the ball carriage 37,in the axial direction of the pintle, is made possible.

In Figure 7, I have illustrated an alternative form of clutch whereinthe head 19 is provided with a conical clutch surface 50 and the bushing7 is provided with a tapered socket adapted to cooperate therewith. Theresult attained by this would be the same as that provided by thefriction washer 15.

With the hinge so constructed and assuming that the section 1 wasattached to a door casing and section 2 secured to a door, its operationwould be as follows:

As the door is moved from closed to open position, bushing 11 is rotatedwith section 2 while bushing 7 and pintle 3 remain stational-y. VDue tothe connection provided by pin 13 further vtension is placed on spring10 as the door opens. During the opening movement, clutch balls 22 rollfree of the inner surface of loop 4 and do not effect any movement ofthe clutch head 19 and ring 16.

When the door is released, the spring 10 causes the hinge section 2 tobe swung toward closed position, th-e rate of movement, however, islimited by the pressure or frictional contact of parts 16 and 7 againstwasher 15, and can be made slower or faster by adjustment of the nut 24.As the door nears its closed position, the balls 36 carried in ring 37,move into the sockets 41 in ring 32 ant this causes a looseness of partsthat relieves the pressure of ring 16 against the washer 15 and allowsthe full pressure of spring 10 to be exerted to close and latch thedoor.

It will thus be seen that the diiiieulty, or objection to ordinary doorclosing devices, is overcome, since most devices lose their force at thelast and do not have suificient power to cause the door to latch unl-essthey are allowed to swing rapidly up to the closing point.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A hinge comprising complemental, pivotally joined sections, a springoperable to return the sections from open to closed position, a frictionwasher interposed in the hinge against a non-rotative part, a clutchmember bearing against the other side of the washer, a clutch operableto permit free movement of the swinging section of the hinge during" anopening movement and operable to cause rotation of the clutch memberagainst the friction washed during a closing movement whereby theclosing action will be retarded and means operable to relieve thefrictional contact between the parts as the hinoe nears its finalclosing position to permit unrestricted action of the spring.

2. A hinge comprising complemental, pivotally joined sections, a. springoperable to return the hinge from open to closed position, a frictionwasher interposedl in the hinge against a non-rotative part, a clutchmember bearing against the other side of the washer, a clutch operableto permit free movement of the swinging section of the hinge during anopening movement and operable to cause rotation of the clutch meme beragainst the friction washer during a closing movement to effect aretardation of 'movement` a ring` disposed upon the clutch havingrecesses therein, a compression meinber, and anti-friction ballsdisposed between the said compression member and the recessed ringthrough which pressure is maintained between the friction vasher andclutch member; said balls being adapted to move with the swingingsection of the hinge and to enter the ring recesses as the section nearsthe fina-l closing position to thereby remove the retarding friction.

3. A hinge of the class described comprising con'iplemental sections, apintle pivotally joining the sections and fixed relative to one, aspring encircling the pintle and operatively connected to yieldablyretain the hinge in closed position, a bushing fixed to the pintle, afriction washer disposed upon the bushing, a clutch ring` seated uponthe washer, a clutch head wit-hin the other hinge section and clutchballs operable against the head to cause rotation of the clutch ringonly during a closing movement of the hinge to thereby effect a retardedmovement, a. ring encircling the pintle upon the clutch head and havingrecesses in its top surface, means forl preventing rotative movement ofthe ring with respect to the pintle, anti-friction balls disposed uponthe said ring, a nut adjustably threaded onto the pintle, andacompression washer interposed between the said nut and the antifrictionballs whereby frictional pressure against the friction washer ismaintained; said anti-friction balls being` movable with the movablesection of the hinge and adapted to enter the recesses of the said ringas the hinge nears the closed position to thereby remove the frictionalrestraining force and to permit unrestricted action of the spring.

Signed at Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington this 11th day of December1923.

